Lucifer Within Us
Normally I operate a £1/hr to determine if a game is worth playing, and I’ll admit that I was worried about “Lucifer Within Us” when many were seeing short play times in the demo. However, I had enjoyed the demo so much that I gave it a chance knowing that it was very doubtful the game would be very long.
Having completely finished the game with all achievements, I feel the game was worth it.
The story is very well written and pulls you in with the voice acting adding that touch of atmosphere to convey the character emotions perfectly, particularly during confessions. My personal favourite was the second investigation where, despite having worked out what was going on, I was still shocked by the outcome and confession. The little touches with the voice acting delivery and graphic choices were key to creating that atmosphere. Well done!
– Real player with 5.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Detective Experimental Games.
I’ll start with the good things. This game has an interesting style and setting. The color pallet doesn’t hurt the eye and the graphics are passable if you don’t scroll too close. A strange mix of high-tech and theology would make an interesting setting for a bigger game. The mysteries themselves are pretty good and may take some time to solve on the first playthrough.
But the problem is, you will only play it once. Now, to the bad stuff.
1. The game doesn’t allow you to lose. You can’t accuse the wrong person, you can’t frustrate the suspects to the point of angry unresponsiveness. In fact, you are encouraged to do so, based on achievements. The absence of failure allows you to just play dumb and spam every possible combination of clues and statements until it clicks, making the whole detective part meaningless. Even when performing the exorcism, you are safe. Wrong daemon name? Well, just try another one!
– Real player with 5.4 hrs in game
PCI Public Crime Investigation
Excellent game with such a great style… been waiting for a game that plays as legit as this one! Everything in it is full of realism.
Full support!
– Real player with 19.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Detective FMV Games.
Really interesting concept and very well executed. PCI casts you as an armchair detective. The French police are asking for assistance with some of their cases. You must create an actual account in order to play online as a team or by yourself and accrue points after finishing up cases. There are 6 cases total ranging from around 30 minutes to 4 hours. The content is VERY dark in some cases and deals with some heavy realistic topics (I’ll list some TW’s at the end of this). While I felt uncomfortable during playing I was so hooked. The cases are riveting and the quizzes at the end really engage you actively with the material. The actors/actresses do a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life (even the worst ones) and not even making you realize they’re acting.
– Real player with 8.4 hrs in game
Who is the Liar?
I loved the art direction chosen for this game. It combines pieces that look like they came out of the board game Clue with beautiful, more realistic 3D scenarios and comics iconographies. The game also has an engaging story and charming characters.
With all of these elements at the developer’s disposal, the game practically begs for more content. Since it is still in early access, it is sure to develop into a great game.
Very promising!
– Real player with 9.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Detective Mystery Games.
A fun game, very well produced. The visuals are incredible, combining cartoon 2D and stunning 3D. A humorous narrative, it reminds me of the movie Knives Out with its crazy eccentric family. Looking forward to play the next stories in the final version.
– Real player with 8.3 hrs in game
Contradiction - Spot The Liar!
This is a FMV detective & mystery game developed by Baggy Cat, created thanks to a kickstarter campaign. Since I love detective games and tv-shows I decided to give this one a go. This is a lovecrafted masterpiece, great from start to finish. I’m gonna try to explain why.
You play as detective Jenks, investigating a girls suicide in an english village. Mysteries surrounding the suicide quickly leads to a murder investigation. Jenks only have a day to solve the mystery. He quickly finds out about a private school for adults called Atlas that uses some questionable methods, and you learn more and more as you go. Every chapter is an hour in the game, but every chapter took me more then an hour each. It’s a pretty tricky game, but you can use clues if you get stuck.
– Real player with 15.2 hrs in game
TL;DR: It’s a very fun and interesting game,
! with a very, very, VERY bad (and extremely) unsatisfying ending
I’m probably very late to the “reviewing contradiction” party (what a weird party), the game being almost 6 years old now and having been talked about in the ExtraCredits YouTube channel (the reason why I bought it in the first place!), but I’m gonna have a go at it anyways.
Contradiction is an FMV game where you must investigate in one night a supposed suicide in a small village. The investigation is done almost entirely by talking to people (i.e. watching small bits of questioning), though some evidence is found by walking and snooping around (in fact, I’m no lawyer or law-enforcement officer, but I feel like a quite a few of the evidence found wouldn’t be admissible in court!) But the main aspect of the game is asking people about things, which can directly lead you to new evidence, but will always lead to a set of statements from each person. This is where the main mechanic of the game comes in: you can select two statements (they must be from the same person though, hold this for later) that contradict each other and if they do, indeed, you get a new line of questioning where detective Jenks brings up the contradiction to the person in question, usually leading to new evidence. When you reach key milestones in the investigation, the time moves forward, and some new witness can become available (or unavailable), and going certain places can unlock certain events that can give you new evidence to ask around about.
– Real player with 13.7 hrs in game
D.W. Dagger: Chapter One
A noir first-person murder mystery set in a gloomy 1947 Pacific Northwest city. Play as the renowned Detective D.W. Dagger to help solve his latest case. A violent murder, a possible suicide, and a handful of suspects.
Can you deduce what happened?
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As the first case in the upcoming series, test your deductive reasoning skills to piece together the truth of a new violent crime.
Taking inspiration from video games like “Gone Home” and “What Remains of Edith Finch,” as well as the board game classic “Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective,” you follow the narrative told through evidence found within the crime scene. As the lead detective, you must find suspects, determine which evidence helps your case and which hurts it, and ultimately, determine who committed the gruesome act.
This is a small, first case to give players an idea of what the larger series entails. It takes around 30-45 minutes to finish, depending on your detective skills! There is no randomized evidence or alternate paths, so once you complete it, that’s it.
Original Soundtrack by Corey Teply
Lost Lies
Lost Lies is a true detective feature-length thriller movie game. Walk into the shoes of detective picking up a case of a missing officer:
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Discover a mystery of her disappearing and find the path to solve a case of series suicides.
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Immerse yourself into the thrilling story where your choices can lead to different endings.
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Analyze documents, find clues and interrogate suspects in your way to solve the case.
But be prepared, not everything is as it seems…
The Painscreek Killings
Summary
Fantastic adventure game with only minor flaws. Play time for me was around 15 hours or so plus another couple of hours for finding the last few items that I had missed originally.
You are playing a journalist who investigates a series of murders that happened a few years back and were never solved. The majority of the game consists of searching through various locations for letters, notes and other clues that allow you to piece together the events that led to the murders and identify the killer. The game is fairly non-linear, most locations are available right from the start although there are quite a few rooms and a handful of areas that you first have to unlock (literally, i.e. you need to find a key/code).
– Real player with 17.7 hrs in game
Walking simulator that quickly evolves from liesurely exploration of an abandoned gated community into a full-blown murder mystery adventure game.
Every place has its secrets. Every suspect is hiding something. Look through drawers, cupboards, the homes and belongings of the persons you are investigating to lead you closer to truth.
You play as an investigative reporter with one simple objective: Solve a cold case file by determining who killed wealthy socialite philanthropist Vivian Roberts and provide a front page photo. Can you find the murder weapon? Can you learn the whole truth about what happened in the now vacant Painscreek?
– Real player with 15.9 hrs in game
Deluded
GENRE
An experimental fusion of narrative FMV (Full Motion Video), point and click investigation and quick time event (QTE) based interactive games.
DELUDED
The latest live action crime thriller game by New IDEA Games.
THE STORY
A “classic” hit ‘n run case or at least it seems like. Play the detective’s role and try to solve the case with your assistant, Susan. Pay attention to the details during your investigation, find the clues and evidence, complete the puzzle and be sure you are ready to face your demons and answer all the questions, since your life depends on it…
Her Story
My rating: 8+/10
Based on: one thorough 100% investigation
TL;DR: An interactive police procedural movie with purposely outdated mechanics, brilliantly written and well-acted, a slow burn and a time sink that offers an engaging story to be discovered bit by bit, an immersive, nostalgic experience of the times gone by, truly worthy of the awards it’s received.
Pros:
(+) a slow-paced, but enthralling open-ended story as told by Hannah Smith whose husband went missing, served up in a series of interviews with this unreliable narrator conducted by police detectives
– Real player with 19.6 hrs in game
Her Story is a little bit of an oddity. It’s a FMV game where the player has access to a police database and needs to find out what happened.
It’s actually rather good. The whole game is limited to an old-style interface where you’re able to type in words and search for records. I’ve seen a few games that try to emulate old OSes and they lack a feeling of being a working interface. Her Story feels like a proper old computer you’re viewing. Though I immediately turned off the glare filter, it has a great old charm to the aesthetics with it on..
– Real player with 9.7 hrs in game
Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire is a detective noir puzzler set in the solarpunk utopia of New London.
You play as Detective Grosvenor, a jaded, middle-aged woman hunting through the still-dark corners of the city in pursuit of a radicalised serial killer.
Using your powers of deduction you must solve the brutally gruesome murders of the Ring of Fire killer. Examine clues, interrogate key suspects, and cross-reference your findings in the police database to uncover the mystery.
SEARCH
Solve the case using text entry, meaning you can’t brute force the puzzle.
INTERVIEW
Push your suspects to the brink through branching cinematic conversations with meaningful consequences.
INVESTIGATE
Explore the 3D crime scene to examine evidence both visually and textually.
